Beyond Ice and Armor Wrapped Hearts
by Megamewgirl
Summary: He sighed, and not even turning his back, he answered "Not really…" after seconds of silence between them he turned his back "What brings you here, Erza?" "I saw you talking to Juvia back at the guild and then you left. I was worried so I followed you here." "Well, no need to be, I'm fine" he said. Damn, she was one of the last persons he wanted to see right now. [GrayZa]


Beyond Ice and Armor wrapped hearts

Yo, Minna! How are you doing? Well, I'm here to present you my first Fairy Tail fic, Fairy Tail One-shot, and first English written fic! *Gosh, I'm nervous* Ejem. Well, as what you read on the summary this is a GrayZa, my favorite Pairing en FT even before I started watching the series (I'm talking seriously XD). This is like a test fic to enter on Fairy Tail Fanfiction world and to start writing in English too :P I'm going to make several GrayZa, possibly a MiraXFreed, some NaLu etc… I was actually going to try to make a Gruvia but after Gray turned Juvia down I'm like starting to "no-no" all Gruvia related materials. It's not that I don't like the pairing, but after knowing it's not Cannon and that Gray doesn't feels anything for her I see it more like a Crack-Pairing XD No offense to Gruvia fans out there, were all cool guys!

*I prefer Lyvia Though TTwTT*

Well, up to the fic! This is going to be taking place the same night Fairy Tail returned from Crocus after the Daimatou Enbu (A.K.A. The Grand Magic Games… just in case you didn't know) so it's Spoiler warning! I'm warning you if you haven't finished reading the manga you or risk yourself to BIG spoilers or finish it first… Anyways XD

Let's start!

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I "_₰"_ I

Fairy Tail was never a quiet guild right? Neither their members wanted it to be, not anymore. But even since they won the Daimatou Enbu, they've been on constant party. By now it was Midnight and the noise only got louder and louder, and for the first time in what would be like 17 years, Gray wanted everyone to just shut up.

It may look to anyone he was actually in a normal mood or just "out" but to the ones closer to him, it was obvious something happened, and to throw down Gray's mood like that, it would have to be something very important.

"Gray. Gray. Gray!" called Cana for the what… 30th time?

"Ah, what?" he snapped out of thinking, just to pay attention to the miraculously sober Card Mage.

"Were you even paying attention to me?" she asked, leaning closer to look better at Gray.

"Ah, yes." He answered not even knowing what the hell he was answering.

"What was I saying?" she moved backwards and crossed her arms upon her chest waiting for him to answer.

"Something about drinking…" he said as it was the first thing he thought of "Sorry Cana, Gotta go. See ya' tomorrow" he got up the chair he was sitting on and walked towards the door of the guild, avoiding any type of contact with everyone.

Not that anyone cared he was leaving, they were or too much drunk or were involved in other things to pay attention to him. Except for one little person, who stepped in front of him as he was going his way out the guild.

"Is something wrong, Gray-sama?"

"Juvia…" he said looking at the water mage in front of him "No. I'm just a little tired and heading back to home."

"Can Juvia do something to help you?" she asked.

"No Juvia, I'm fine" he said a bit irritated. He shoved Juvia to his side with one arm and continued walking.

He walked not even knowing where he was actually going. He just wanted a silent place where to think, so he lied. He wasn't heading back home, heck, even he didn't knew where was he heading.

While he walked along the city streets, the little people who were still awaken greeted him, even though he ignored all of them.

Ever since he learned what Ultear did for him, he wasn't being the same, even if it had been just hours since that. He knew he had to move on, to live the life Ultear sacrificed for him to have, but even knowing that, after that happened every troubled thought came back to his mind. Every little problem now seemed like a heavy burden for him. He couldn't find peace for his mind in any moment; he was totally out of himself.

He came to a stop when he bumped along something. When he noticed it, he saw he had hit a lighting post. He saw better, and looked he was almost to the border of the river that flowed between Magnolia, that very one that flowed through Lucy's house. If it weren't for the stupid lighting post he hit, he was sure he'll have fallen to the river by now.

He sighed, and walked a little further to a stone bridge he couldn't remember. *_Must be new*_ he thought. He placed his arms on the bridge's stone railing and continued with his thoughts. Like before, he stood thinking of _everything_ that came into mind. Even how was he blaming himself still for loosing after Rufus on the first day of Daimatou Enbu, to the war against the dragons. Of course he was still mourning Ultear's sacrifice. How could he not? It was actually the second time, well; third if you counted well, a member of his 'family' sacrificed its life for him. Ur did, to seal his darkness, Lyon did to protect him from the explosive Lachryma Racer had, even though that idiot was still alive, which was both good and bad at a time, and how Ultear did it to reassure he had the time she thought he disserved more than her.

"Still troubled, Gray?" asked a voice from behind him, who he didn't even expected, nor wanted to talk at the moment.

He sighed, and not even turning his back, he answered "Not really…" lying of course. He decided to turn his back after some seconds of silence between them "What brings you here, Erza?"

He leaned his back and elbows on the railing of the bridge just to get some support.

"I saw you talking to Juvia back at the guild and then you left. I was kinda worried so I followed you here." She answered, with her hands on her hips.

"Well, no need to be, I'm fine" he said mostly uninterested. Damn, really Erza was one of the last persons he wanted to talk at that moment, as she was a big part of his troubled thoughts.

She approached Gray firmly, now crossing her arms "No need to lie to me Gray. Did you tell her already?"

"Tell her what?" he asked, starting to get irritated at the presence of Titania.

"About what you feel for her." She said, leaning on the railing with both her armor-covered arms.

"Uh, that. Yeah, I told her…" he said leaning backwards, supporting almost all of his weight on the railing, while looking up at the starry night sky.

"And?" she pressed.

"Don't bother with that right now Erza. I'm not in the mood." He closed his eyes, trying to relax himself.

She chuckled lightly, "oh that's it? Because a minute ago you told me you were fine"

He groaned, and sited himself on the floor with his back relying on the bridge's railing. "Fine, you got me… I'm not as _fine_ as I may say."

"Yes, I can see that." Said Erza sitting next to Gray "is about what happened today, the reason you were crying at the carriage?"

"Yes..." he said, starting to feel sad again.

"May it be a problem to tell me? You know I'm here to help you, Gray." She said reassuringly dedicating him a smile.

"It's about… It's about Ultear…" Gray finally said

"Something happened to her?" asked Erza worried

"We could say that…" he mumbled

"Speak clearly, Gray" she ordered.

"She…" his voice bit by bit started to crack "She gave her life to save mines…"

"What?" she asked startled

"What you heard, Erza" he said, placing one of his hands in his forehead, tangling his fingers with his hair as he started to cry. "I… I quite don't know but… it was when battling the tiny dragons… While we were distracted, one aimed at Juvia, so I pushed her out of the way… Gaining myself some shots, one of them at my very head."

Erza gasped at learning those news. "But, are you fine now?" she asked, trying not to raise her voice too much, touching his head all over searching for injuries.

"Yes Erza, I'm fin—Auch!" he screamed in pain as Erza started to maniacally check through his head, pulling strand of hair in the process "hey, quit it! It hurts!"

"Oh, sorry." She said lowering her hands. "I just got w—"

"Worried, I know…" he sighed again "as I was saying, I don't really know what happened, because actually when we were fighting, everything seemed normal, until Meredy, Juvia, Lyon, and I got the same 'vision' which was what I told you already."

"So you saw…"

"The future… that prevented me and my stupid ass get converted in Swiss cheese by tiny dragons. But the cost of that was… Ultear's life."

"Gray… I'm so sorry for you… I know you saw her as a sister…" Erza placed a hand on his shoulder, as Gray tried hard not to cry again.

"I feel horrible… Looks like I'm a big idiot… I can't live without everyone I hold dear sacrifices his or her life for me…" he said, once again with his hand on his forehead. "What an idiot I am" his voice cracked.

Tears formed on the corner of his eyes, but he still fighted hard for them not to keep growing…

"Looks like we're the same…" Erza looked up to the moonless sky, nostalgia tainting her words.

"What?" Grays was monumentally confused because of what she said "What do you mean?"

"That we're like each other…. We're so stupid that we need everyone else to sacrifice for us to live our lives…" she said, looking at him in the eyes, cleaning the tears he had already flowing down his cheeks. "But that doesn't mean we are going to throw down our lives. That would just be a dishonor to those who sacrificed for us."

"Still that does not stop me from feeling guilty…" he said looking at his hands. "I had to see my parents die in hands of a monster, my teacher, who was my second mother, sacrifice her physical body to seal it, and losing my 'big brother' on the course of it. To face again Deliora and Lyon, both shades of my past I never wanted to accept as a part of me. Then even Lyon sacrificed himself for me in the battle against Oracion Seis, luckily that bastard is still alive. And then Ultear had to give away her life just to save my life. It feels horrible to think all your family is falling apart, bit by bit… I'm afraid it happens again… but this time, to Fairy Tail…"

"Gray…" she said amused of what he said… "I know how you feel. I know it exactly" her voice was calm, as she pulled him in an embrace "I know how hard is trying to live on while you see your life being teared apart from your hands and you can't do anything to help it… I know it is horrible as hell, and the burden of guilt you carry is bigger than anyone who hasn't passed through this would even imagine… Still… You have _me _here. I know how you feel, so don't feel bad for it, because you're not alone. If you want to talk, talk. If you want to cry, cry, but not alone…"

Gray, even with his face buried right on the crook of her neck, chuckled lightly "Funny, I told the same thing when we were kids…"

"Destiny is a cruel and also a funny thing, isn't it?" Erza said. Gray finally corresponded the embrace in which he was, and for first time in _years_ he found a safe place, a safe person to rely on to cry, as he did. He didn't contain himself, while he hugged Erza closer to him, not letting her go. His sobs fastly became louder and louder, as she was sad of seeing her best friend in so much pain, but also happy to see she was a trustworthy person for him, to let her see what he actually felt without any restraint.

He slowly pulled away from Erza, wiping his tears with the back of his hands "I… I'm sorry…" he said standing up, offering his hand to Erza, as she took it.

"You don't have to" she said giving him a reassuringly smile, as she leaned forward, maybe a little too hard, as she bumped with his muscular bare chest.

Oh wait… Bare?!

She immediately blushed, not even knowing why, because she had seen him like that many times in her life. "Gray… would you mind putting on some clothes?" she asked, by now red because god knows why, anger or embarrassment.

"What the-?" he asked as he saw the only decent piece of clothing he still had were his pants "When did I did this?!"

"That's what I want to know, now put some clothes on!" she demanded in her usual Erza-manner. He nodded afraid of the fearful Titania.

_*Same old Erza*_ he thought to himself as he got his shirt and clothed again. "Guess we should be going" he said as he finished buttoning the shirt.

"Yeah. Lets go" she said as she started walking, surprisingly bumping into something, possibly a broken tile or something. (Yeah right)

At least her fall was not that bad as she thought it would be, after all she landed in something, better say, someone.

"Dammit, I'm going to make a complaint about how bad is the state of this bridge!" yelled Erza, a bit furious. "Are you okay?" She asked Gray, who she was on top of.

"Yeah, I'm still whole…. Right?" he said as he leaned forward, taking Erza with him. They both got to be sited, facing one another, really, _really_ close. Of course, they blushed. "U-Um… I… I..." he stuttered nervous of the little-to-no-space situation he was on and damn, Erza wasn't wearing her usual armor, so he could feel her chest pressing itself along his.

That was the _exact_ reason he didn't wanted to be with Erza some time ago. Because of what she awakened in him. One of the most troublesome feelings he had was _'How I feel about Erza'_ and even though he knew the answer, he didn't quite accepted being _in love_ with his best friend. Though, he knew Erza loved another one, Jellal…

"I-I'm sorry, Gray" she said very blushed, looking at those charcoal-black eyes of his, so near she could feel his hot breath. "G-Guess it was my fault…" she laughed nervously.

"It's… It's okay…" he smiled to her, which made her blush only harden.

Without even knowing, they both leaned forward almost unconsciously, by pure instinct, until both their lips brushed themselves together.

First kiss for both, and inexpert one, young and clumsy. Still, neither both of them could deny they had some time itching for it.

But Gray was the one to break away from the kiss… "I-I'm sorry for that, it was my fault…" He said leaning backwards and standing up.

Erza also stood up, as red as her own hair. "Sorry? W-Why would you be?"

"This is wrong, Erza… W-What about you and Jellal?" he asked, turning his back onto hers, nervous as hell.

"Is that what is worrying you?" she asked, smiling and walking near him "It's okay… He's kind of… He has a Fiancée."

"He has a what?!" asked Gray, turning fast to face back to Erza, accidentally hitting his toe with another Lightning post. What had those damn posts again him that night?!

"As you heard, Gray… He told me he has a Fiancée."

"Oh dammit… Are you Okay about it?" he said, concerned for her.

"Y-Yes… I'm fine, in fact, I'm glad he has found someone to hold dear." She said, looking at the ground, smirking slightly.

Gray leaned closer to her, looking her right on the face, only centimeters from her face, which made her blush again. "No you're not…" he declared separating himself. "No need to lie to me, Erza." He said, with a harsh look on his face.

"Funny, I told you the same half an hour ago" She chuckled, tying to avoid the theme. It didn't work, as Gray's face looked exactly as how it looked 10 seconds ago. She sighed "well, Gray… You know me better than anyone, don't you?" She said, as Gray's expression started softening. "I cannot say I'm totally glad of it, but still, I am, quite glad for him."

"That's the point; you're talking about how you feel for _him_." He sentenced "Now… How you feel for _you_?"

"Well, I…" she didn't even knew how to answer, as the question was unexpected, quite not from Gray, as she _never_ could know what happened to him if she didn't asked first, while he, only with looking at her eyes, could see if something was wrong or not.

It was a mystery to her how he could read her as if she was an open book, but Gray always seemed like a closed, very difficult to open, one.

She didn't hesitated to launch herself onto his arms, needing now the comfort she gave to him earlier "I feel horrible, Gray…" she said, hiding her face between his miraculously still staying shirt.

Gray for one side was shocked he got Erza to say that so easily, without pushing too much as he had to do always for her to even tell something was wrong. "Erza…" he started petting her head, while his other hand stood on her back, reassuring her that she could stay the way she was "Don't worry…" he took her chin and lifted her face to his level, smiling, at how teary were her eyes. He cleaned her tears with the back of his hand and cupped her face.

He leaned forward and closed his eyes. Erza knew now he was going to repeat what he regretted moments ago.

She didn't even needed to hesitate, as she, too, leaned forward closing her eyes, until both their lips met together once again in a passionate kiss.

Still a bit clumsy, but full of good feelings of love, caring and so. The kiss got more passionate second by second, as it almost became a desperate kiss. Erza placed both of her arms surrounding Gray's neck, while he placed his hands on her hips, holding closer to his body, making him feel the heat of Titania along the cold of his own.

When both of their lungs were crying for air, they had to split apart from their kiss, but not from their grasp. Both their noses snuggling one another, and foreheads together. They opened their eyes, panting from the fucking air need that made them broke their kiss.

"Man, that was good…" said Gray, smiling at Erza, whose cheeks were still red-tinted.

"Yeah, it really was…" she said leaning her head in his strong, wide shoulders. She smiled, and closed her eyes, still between the strong and caring grasp of the man now was holding her ever so gently, as no ever really did.

"Erza… I love you…" he whispered into her ear, laughing as she slightly jumped in her place from the surprise.

"Wh-What about Juvia…?" she asked nervously "Isn't she going to get mad?"

"Why? I already told her what I felt for her."

"W-What exactly did you told her?" stuttered Erza.

"That I didn't like her. Why?"

"I-I thought you actually liked her." She stated.

He had a puzzled look on his face "What made you think so?"

"With all the things that happened with Lyon I thought you—" She was cutted Mid-sentence by Gray.

"Wait, wait, wait! You thought I liked her because of Him?!" she nodded "One of these days I'm going to kill that Bastard!"

Erza slightly laughed, as she leaned close to him again… "So…" she whispered in his ear, which made him shrudder upon feeling her hot breath on his ear "Would you tell me again what you said seconds after?"

Gray laughed slightly "Of course, my dear Erza" the blush returned to her cheeks, while his were long red "I love you, Erza. I have always done, and always will…"

She leaned onto him, and gave him a short kiss, barely brushing his lips. "I love you too, Gray…"

She hugged him ever so gently, resting her face on his chest, feeling safe between his arms…

I "_₰"_ I

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So! That was it! Too cheesy? I don't know, the ones who are reading it are you! I apologize for possible OoCiness… I'm actually more fixated to write OCs or to make a tragedy change a characters mind radically, so this was a little hard (not that much, 4 hours in front of my Laptop writing this). I want to remind you that English is not my Native Language, Spanish is, so if I made ANY mistakes, I'd love you to spot them for me. Review or PM me, please? ^^

PD: Anyone there wants to recommend me a fic? I'm open to every type of fic. (yeah, even Lemons) If a romantic, my preferences in pairings are: GrayZa, NaLu, NaLi, possibly GrayLu, Lyvia, GaLe, MiraXFreed, HappyXCharle (how not? -w-) and possibly others… I'm open to any type of fic, as I said, except for two. Yuri and Yaoi.

So Guys, see ya soon! Matta nee!


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